T W E N T Y S E V E N
T W E N T YS E V E N
- Avery -
T hings were really looking up.
I had a sexy new boy toy. Or rather, a sexy new man toy. Then again, maybe I was the toy in this budding relationship? Whatever. All I knew was that just thinking about the rapture he took in treating me like a raunchy rag doll made me hot.
Or maybe it was the fact that all six ovens were on.
Regardless, on top of having been on top of Oliver, I’d finally recovered my missing package and patched things up somewhat amicably with my neighbor. Sure, he believed I was a woman named Elaine who smelled like berries below the belt, but so what? I had no intention of crossing his path again, least of all because it would be unbearably awkward. I wasn’t ashamed of my sexual appetite, but I certainly wasn’t proud of my foul first impression. Or my sordid second impression. Or my terrible third…
If only I’d brought him a stupid pie in the first place.
Fortunately, I was optimistic that some better-late-than-never cupcakes would suffice. And if they didn’t, I’d be too busy enjoying the extras I made for myself to notice. Not only had Grace taught me how to make them so chocolatey you hear angels singing without your ears ringing, but my decorating skills were really coming along. Granted, kitty faces weren’t that challenging, but if the grouch next door had a cat, they were guaranteed to make him smile. Cat people loved cat shit.
Well, maybe not literally, but… Oh no. What if he thought I was trying to be suggestive? I mean, even if his mind wasn’t as filthy as mine, I could see how he’d make the leap. Two seconds after he returns my smutty self-care package, I leave lickable pussies outside his door. Did he even know I knew he had a cat? It’s not like he was privy to the fact that I’d scrutinized his personal stuff when it was strewn about the hall.
I took a deep breath before exhaling slowly to calm my racing mind and come to terms with the fact that it was too late to change course. Going full circus and throwing some other animals into the mix wasn’t an option. I knew from experience that my designs ended in disaster when I got too ambitious. So I wasn’t going to overthink it and hopefully he wouldn’t either. The cats were cute. He had one. And if he was anything like most men I knew, he’d eat every cupcake in two bites and be done with it.
I set the best orange kitties aside for Oliver, hoping he absolutely would think I was being suggestive. Then I considered the note I’d leave for the guy in number eight while I continued carefully drawing whiskers.
“Sorry I was a bitch to you. I was mad at men and the moon made me do it.”
“I apologize for being a bad neighbor. I don’t have a lot of childhood trauma to blame stuff on, so I’m trying to make up for lost time.”
“Please forgive me for being uncharitable. I forgot that it’s God’s job to judge you, not mine.”
Hmmm.
Definitely not there yet.
That said, baking all morning had made me feel better about the situation. Maybe Grace’s love of pastry was finally rubbing off on me. Or perhaps it was the fact that I was using the icing bag, which always sent me on a power trip. Whatever the cause of my high spirits, I suspected they were only going to get higher.
Oliver was taking me out again in two days, and while I was trying not to get my hopes up, it was hard not to. He was such a good conversationalist, and if I didn’t wear his tongue out at dinner, I wouldn’t hesitate to offer myself up for dessert. I sighed.
I’d forgotten how nice it was to look forward to a man’s company and feel as proud when he linked my arm in public as I did when he reached for me in private. Come to think of it, had I ever really had that? Sure, I’d dated some handsome men whose presence satisfied my body and my ego. But this was different. Being with Oliver satisfied my soul. I actually felt safe with him and safe to be myself with him.
In the shower this morning, I caught myself entertaining a full-on fantasy that we booked a weekend away at a luxury resort and the woman who scheduled my spa day called me Mrs. Harrington. I was so mesmerized by the thought I got shampoo in my eyes. The whole thing was beyond silly, and I’d never really liked the idea of changing my name but… Avery Harrington did have a nice ring to it.
But I was getting ahead of myself, both in life and cupcakes.
“Wow,” Kayleigh said, startling me out of the zone so suddenly I swirled vanilla icing from a cupcake to the counter. “Grace told me you were gone, but I didn’t realize you were this far gone.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She pointed at my cat-faced creations. “Do those have fillings?”
I nodded. “Chocolate cream.”
“I have to hand it to you, Avery.” She looked over her shoulder to make sure there was no one waiting to be served before lowering her voice. “He is a total hunk.”
“Will you check the scones in that oven?” I asked, nodding towards them. Grace was meeting with a marketing expert as part of her Star Baker prize, and I wanted everything to be under control when she got back so she could jump straight to sharing every detail.
Kayleigh bent down to check the scones.
“Well?”
“They need a few more minutes,” she said, turning towards me again. “Did you know he was on the cover of Men’s Fitness magazine last year?”
I squinted at her.
“It’s just him and his rock-hard hip bones and, like, eighteen abs.”
I laughed. “I didn’t know that, but I suppose it’s less surprising to me than the fact that you’ve been Googling him.”
Kayleigh was only a few years younger than me, but I couldn’t help feeling protective of her. I did my best to hide it, though, because Grace put enough pressure on her, particularly when it came to her studies. She meant well, of course, and just wanted her sister to have options and opportunities she hadn’t had, but from where I was standing, Kayleigh deserved more credit than her sister gave her.
Not only was she wicked smart, but her Googling skills were obviously superior. How come I hadn’t found evidence of Oliver’s cover modeling?!
“It was for your own good,” she said, failing to suppress a smile.
I threw my eyes to the sky. “In that case, thanks for counting his abs. I feel so much safer.”
She smiled. “Grace told me you’re bonking him already.”
“Does she tell you all my business?” I asked, switching to the icing bag with the smaller tip so I could add specks of white to the cat’s eyes. “And what do you mean already ?”
“You just met him at the festival a few weeks ago, right? If there’s anything I’ve learned from my big sister, it’s that you should wait at least fifteen years to sleep with someone.”
I shot her a conspiratorial look. “Good one. I suppose when you put it that way, things are moving pretty fast.”
“Is he the one?”
I stopped what I was doing and cocked my head at her. “You mean the one to melt my icy heart?”
“More like the one who can actually keep up with you?”
I furrowed my brow. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you’re a force, Avery, and most guys… can barely talk and drive.”
“What do you mean ‘a force’?”
“I mean you have a lot of energy, a lot of style, and more personality in your little finger than most people do after twenty years of trying to find themselves. It must be… intimidating for people.”
Where was this coming from? “I haven’t found myself, Kayleigh. I hate to spoil the illusion, but I’m faking being a grown-up just like everybody else.”
“Well, even if you haven’t figured yourself out definitively,” she said, pausing to choose her words. “You definitely have… comparatively.”
“Comparatively?” I shook my head. “Would you stop talking nonsense and spit out whatever it is you’re trying to say?”
She swallowed and searched my eyes. “I’m having a hard time at school.”
My face fell. “What?”
“Not grades wise, but… I just… I don’t know what I want to do with my life.”
I exhaled and set the piping bag down. “Well, that’s a relief!”
Her brows knitted together.
“If you thought you did, it would just be one more thing you might end up being wrong about.”
She stared at me.
“Don’t misunderstand. It’s great to have goals and make plans to achieve them, but it doesn’t really matter if you know what you want to do .”
Confusion twisted her expression. “How could it not matter?”
“Because knowing what you want to do isn’t nearly as important as knowing who you want to be.”
“Forget I said anything.”
I took a step towards her and set a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, this is important,” I said, lowering my eyes to meet hers. “Are you paying attention?”
She nodded.
“You can do anything, Kayleigh. Anything. That’s why narrowing down your next steps based on what you should do feels impossible.”
“It really does.”
“I know. So figure out what you value first. Then choose a path that allows you to honor those values, and everything will work out.”
“Live my values,” she repeated, like her mind was mulling it over. “Is that why you dropped out of your program?”
“Yes. That’s exactly why I’m decorating cupcakes this afternoon instead of drawing up divorce papers. But this isn’t about what I think is right or risky or rewarding. It’s about you following your heart. Not money. Not the crowd. Not Google trends. Your heart. In essence, do what makes you happy.”
“Like hot food critics?”
“Very funny. I mean, it’s working for me, but—”
“I don’t think I want to be a doctor, Avery.”
“So?”
“So that’s why I chose my program, and I’m going to graduate soon.”
“Have you enjoyed your studies?”
“Yeah. For the most part.”
“Good. The whole point of college is to learn to enjoy learning. So if that’s all you did the last few years, then you built the best skill a person could have, no matter what you decide to do next.”
“I don’t know how to tell my mom. I’m worried she’ll be disappointed.”
“If she is, it will be temporary, and trust me, it’s better to temporarily disappoint your mother than it is to permanently disappoint yourself.”
“I don’t want to work in the bakery either.”
“Yeah, I noticed. Even when you’re here.”
She scowled at me.
“Seriously, those scones better not be busted.”
Her eyes popped wide, and she sprang into action, snatching the nearest oven mitt and scrambling to free the scones.
When the steam cloud around her cleared, her sheepish expression told me it had been a close call before she did. “Thanks for the reminder.”
“Anytime.” I turned back to the cupcakes and selected half a dozen decent ones for the guy next door, but deep down, I knew it was Oliver who was in for a real treat. I couldn’t wait to see his face when I surprised him in that silky negligee. It was a little snug around my boobs, but I had a feeling he wouldn’t mind.
“When do you see him again?” Kayleigh asked, transferring the scones onto a cooling rack.
“Friday.”
“I’m happy for you, Avery.”
“Thanks. I’m happy for me, too.”
“It’s about time you met a normal guy who doesn’t make sex furniture or collect Star Wars memorabilia or have skeletons in his closet.”
“To be fair, that guy was a physiotherapist, and he only had one skeleton, but I take your point.”
The bell over the door rang and Kayleigh glanced over her shoulder again before whispering my way. “Hey, don’t mention that stuff about school to Grace, okay?”
I pretended to lock my lips and throw away the key.
“I’ll tell her when I’m ready.”
“Just be honest,” I said. “The truth will set you free.”